Women’s Pain Update

Men and women all have pain at some point. Women often disproportionately suffer silently when in pain and report having more pain than men, as well as feeling it more intensely. The American Society of Anesthesiologists annually reviews the latest peer-reviewed scientific gender research about the wide variety of chronic pain that affects women, as well as the many options available to control pain.

2015 Women's Pain Update

Coping with pain is challenging, as most women know, whether the discomfort is related to childbirth, creaky knees or any number of other causes. Yet research shows there are a variety of solutions that can help relieve women in pain, from exercise to identifying or avoiding triggers.

Just as there are physicians who specialize in treating conditions such as breast cancer, heart disease and allergies, there are specialists trained to focus in the management and treatment of pain. These physicians complete four years of medical school and further training in a specialty, such as anesthesiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, neurology and internal medicine, followed by one to two years of fellowship training to become an expert in chronic pain.

Men and women seeking pain relief from a specialist can confirm that the physician is certified in pain medicine by a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties, such as the American Board of Anesthesiology.